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220-1102 Practice Question: A technician is troubleshooting a remote user's…
A technician is troubleshooting a remote user's inability to connect to the office network via VPN. The user can ping the VPN server's public IP address but the VPN connection fails after entering credentials. The VPN logs show an authentication error. What should the technician check next?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the distinction between connectivity issues (Layer 3 reachability) and authentication issues (Layer 7 credential validation), leading candidates to incorrectly focus on firewall ports or client software when the logs clearly point to an authentication failure.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Check if the user's account is locked out or if the password has expired.
The VPN logs show an authentication error, which indicates the failure occurs during the credential validation phase, not during network connectivity. Since the user can ping the VPN server's public IP, Layer 3 connectivity is intact, and the issue is likely with the user's account status. Checking if the account is locked out or the password has expired directly addresses the authentication failure.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Verify that the VPN server's firewall is allowing UDP port 500 and 4500.
Why it's wrong here
UDP ports 500 (for IKE) and 4500 (for NAT-T) are essential for establishing an IPsec VPN tunnel. If these ports were blocked by the VPN server's firewall, the initial connection handshake would fail completely, preventing any communication, including the ability to ping the server. Since the user can already ping the server, basic network connectivity exists, indicating the firewall is not the root cause of an authentication error, which occurs after the connection attempt is made.
- ✓
Check if the user's account is locked out or if the password has expired.
Why this is correct
An "authentication error" directly signifies that the credentials provided by the user, such as the username, password, or certificate, were rejected by the authentication server. Common and immediate reasons for such rejection include the user's account being administratively locked out due to too many failed login attempts, or the password having reached its expiration date and requiring a mandatory reset. Addressing these account-specific issues is the most direct and logical troubleshooting step for an authentication failure.
- ✗
Reinstall the VPN client software on the user's computer.
Why it's wrong here
Reinstalling the VPN client software is typically a troubleshooting step for issues related to the client's local functionality, such as software crashes, an inability to launch, or problems establishing the initial connection. However, an authentication error implies that the client successfully initiated a connection attempt and presented credentials to the server, which were then rejected. Since the client is communicating with the server to the point of authentication, the client software itself is likely functioning correctly, making reinstallation an inefficient and incorrect solution for this specific problem.
- ✗
Configure the VPN to use a different encryption protocol.
Why it's wrong here
Encryption protocols, such as AES or 3DES, are utilized to secure the data payload *after* a secure tunnel has been successfully established and the user has been authenticated. An authentication error occurs during the initial phase of establishing the connection, specifically when the server attempts to validate the user's identity based on provided credentials. Changing the encryption protocol would not resolve a credential-based rejection and could potentially introduce new compatibility issues if the client and server do not agree on the new protocol, leading to a different type of connection failure.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
SOHO Network Security
Key term
VPN
A VPN (Virtual Private Network) creates a secure, encrypted tunnel between your device and a remote server, protecting your data and hiding your online activity.
Key term
Authentication
Authentication is the process of verifying that someone or something is who or what it claims to be before granting access to a system or resource.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1202 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1202 exam.